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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. rash — hasty
  9. land — to come down
  10. vault — a safe
  11. land — a country
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rash — a series
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. land — ground
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rush — hurry
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stem — to come from

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com